We're A Work In Progress
by SakuraNights01
Summary: A simple-yet-sweet collection of stories for the Mob Psycho 100 fandom to enjoy. In participation of the MP100 Fluff Bomb ignited by the fans of tumblr.
1. Umbrella

**Please note: All of these prompts were provided by tumblr user bisexualwinry! I will do the best I can to write at least one short story each day for your enjoyment! Sit back, relax, and revel in the fluffy goodness!**

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The distinct pitter-patter outside signified yet another rainy day - the third day in a row, after a considerable drought. The employees of Spirits and Such Consultation had been lucky enough so far that all of their cases were able to be resolved indoors. Their luck didn't last, however, as they were soon booked for a housecall.

"Not much to be done about that, I suppose," Reigen murmured quietly to himself before flicking his gaze to where Shigeo sat reading manga quietly. "Hey Mob, bundle up. We're going out."

"Okay," Shigeo responded and grabbed his coat from where it hung off of the back of his chair. They were about two steps from the exit before a knock was heard and Serizawa opened the door, stopping abruptly when he saw them.

"Oh! Reigen-san, Kageyama-senpai! Good afternoon!" he spoke slightly flustered and bowed quickly. Shigeo waved back with a small smile, and Reigen patted his shoulder gently to get his attention. His clothes and hair were wet, indicating that he must've gotten caught in the rain on the way to the office, but Reigen pushed the thought out of his mind. They had business to attend to.

"I already told you that you don't have to knock before coming in. But in any case, you've got some remarkable timing! We've got a job!"

"Oh, r-really?" Serizawa stood to his full height and glanced about the office. "Where is the client?"

"It's actually a housecall, so we need to make a trip to the client's home. Her bathroom light fixture isn't going to fix itself, apparently," Reigen sighed. Not ideal to be walking through the downpour for something probably so easily remedied, but he wasn't about to turn down easy money. Serizawa put his schoolbag down and followed them out of the office and to the front doors. He froze, however, when both Reigen and Shigeo opened umbrellas before stepping outside.

"Serizawa-san, you didn't bring an umbrella?" Shigeo asked, grabbing Reigen's attention immediately.

"I-I… um…" he began wringing his hands nervously, glancing everywhere but at them. There was a beat of silence before Reigen stepped forward and held his umbrella up and over his head.

"I understand. It still makes you nervous, right? You can share mine, if it makes you feel any better."

"I-is that really okay though…?"

Reigen smirked before lightly pushing him from behind, urging him onward.

"Having your horizons broadened is a great thing, but don't be afraid to take shelter sometimes. It's a pretty big world out there, don't you agree?" he smirked, gaining a nervous smile from his older employee.

"Yeah, it really is. Thank you, Reigen-san."


	2. Cellphone

"Oh, Ritsu! You got a cellphone too?"

"Yeah. It's nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done."

Sure enough, Ritsu had been given his own phone for use any time. As he said, it wasn't anything fancy - certainly nowhere close to the latest phone models, but definitely newer than the phone Reigen had given Shigeo a while back. It sleek design and shiny silver finish was befitting for the younger Kageyama brother.

"Mom and Dad said I should have one too, just in case. I got it a couple days ago. Let me have your number too, Niisan," Ritsu spoke as he flipped his phone to the contact screen and handed it to Shigeo.

"Great, I'll even put Master Reigen's number in here, too." Shigeo began tapping away, much to Ritsu's dismay. Before he could protest, however, the phone began to ring with a loud and unfamiliar death metal ringtone. Both boys startled and Shigeo nearly dropped the device before regaining his composure.

"I… didn't know you listened to this kind of music, Ritsu…"

"Actually, I don't. What the hell is that?"

Shigeo glanced at the screen before turning it to his younger brother. Ritsu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the phone, before a dark scowl suddenly crossed his features. He snatched the phone from Shigeo's hand and bolted out the front door.

"Shou, I'm gonna kill you!"


	3. Change

He could strangle him right now. It would be easy, and he was sitting right next to him, and it was SO tempting. But Ritsu liked to think he knew better than to get involved in Shou's antics, and giving him attention would only fuel that undying fire.

It was becoming incredibly difficult to ignore him, however, as yet another paper clip lodged itself in his hair. Despite the absolute silence in the room, Shou always had a way of making his presence known in the most obnoxious ways.

"Stick in the mud."

"Shut your mouth, Suzuki."

"Ha! You never change. Such a bore."

"I'm busy studying. Get lost."

Shou, floating lazily through the air, poked at Ritsu's cheek.

"Boring! You've been studying for the past 2 hours! Why don't we do something?"

Ritsu nearly slammed his pen onto his desk when another paper clip gently affixed itself to a lock of hair.

"Need I remind you that you invited yourself over? If you're that bored, then leave!"

Shou stared back unimpressed before scoffing, taking another paper clip, and flicking it directly into Ritsu's hair with powers.

"Work yourself to death then, Shitsu."

The dark-haired esper froze abruptly, before turning to his friend slowly.

"...the _hell_ did you just say?"

Needless to say, Shigeo was quite alarmed when Shou quickly flew by screaming "He's gone mad! Holy shit!", followed shortly behind by an enraged Ritsu commanding what must have been 1000 paper clips and various other school supplies with his powers.


	4. Mentor

Teru seldom expected guests at his home, despite the many friends he'd come to make in the past year alone. Even his own mother he'd kept at a distance, if only to keep her safe from the vile reaches of Claw. "Loner" wasn't a word he'd use to describe himself, rather he was "independent". And being independent, he had to learn how to do a lot of things on his own - without psychic powers, as of somewhat recently. So he'd learned how to take care of himself on his own without anyone around to help him. He was perfectly fine with that.

He was still quite surprised when, after a knock on his door, Shigeo showed up on his doorstep.

"Oh, Kageyama-kun! Come on in!" Teru made no effort to hide his elation at seeing one of his closest friends so suddenly and stepped aside, allowing the quieter boy in. "I'll put some tea on. What brings you here?"

"Thanks. And that's… well, I'm here… because…" Shigeo fiddled with his words and glanced about the room. Teru eyed him curiously as he set a kettle of water on the stovetop. Despite being good friends, Shigeo still acted the nervous wreck around the people he was close to, especially when it came to asking favors. The dark-haired boy sighed, and pulled a long, pink strip of fabric from one of his pockets. "W-will you teach me how to tie this?"

A tie? Intriguing. He didn't take Shigeo to be the type to care much for formal dress, but he supposed everyone had their reasons. That wasn't about to stop him from asking why, though.

"Ooh, fancy dress-up, huh? You got a date or something?"

Shigeo flustered brightly and shook his head quickly.

"N-no! Nothing like that…! My mom's sister is getting married soon, so I need to learn how to tie this properly for the wedding. Your school uniform has a tie, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you."

When he deemed the water hot enough, Teru poured out two cups of tea and set one in front of Shigeo. He was flattered, really, that he'd thought to come to him first, instead of his little brother, or his dad, or his-

"What about your master? He wears a tie, doesn't he?"

"Actually, this is Master Reigen's tie. I'm only borrowing it for now," Shigeo smiled down at the pink tie in his hands. "He did show me how to do it, but his hands move really fast, so it was kinda hard for me to keep up."

Teru almost laughed, but only grinned instead. A good excuse to hang out, then. He had zero problems with this. He made his way to the dresser and pulled his own teal-striped school tie out, then walked back and sat down next to Shigeo. Having to learn and do everything on his own for so long, it would be interesting to have to teach someone else how to do something for a change.

"Alright, you start by taking each side in both hands…."


	5. Habits

On the rare occasions that Ritsu and Shigeo were able to walk home from school together, they sometimes stopped for something to eat on the way home. At times, they went to the store for a quick snack, and other times they'd stop at Mobdonalds, a popular burger joint in town. Either way, it usually ended with them eating ice cream.

"Oh, they forgot the spoon," Shigeo glanced about in his mealbag, slightly disappointed at the discovery. Without batting an eye, Ritsu reached into his schoolbag and handed him a metal spoon that he'd brought with him from home. "Oh, thanks."

"No problem, Niisan."

They walked on without conversation for a few more minutes before Shigeo broke the silence.

"Why was that in your bag?"

Ritsu paused for a moment and pondered the answer. True, it was strange for him to still carry around spoons now that he had awakened his psychic powers. It was strange for him to do so even before then, too.

"...Force of habit, maybe," Ritsu responded slowly before quickening to match his pace with his older brother. Shigeo nodded his head understandingly, eating his ice cream slowly.

"Master does say that a lot, that old habits die hard."

"Uh-huh."

The older Kageyama brother grew quiet again, lost in his thoughts. Before Ritsu could say a word, the spoon in Shigeo's hand twisted itself at odd angles, dropping a particularly large spoonful of ice cream onto the ground. Ritsu smirked and took the spoon back, reshaping it back to normal.

"Speaking of old habits dying hard…."


	6. Growing Up

There was nothing unordinary about school that day. Usual classes, usual teachers, usual friends (and fans?) she saw every day. It was nice to have routine, but Tsubomi was anything but ordinary and, at times, desired something new. And if whatever she'd found didn't hold her interest, then she'd move on and find something else to see or think about it. It was that simple.

With that in mind, Tsubomi chose to exit from the other side of the school this time instead of the front gates like always. And why not? If she wanted a break from routine, then this certainly wasn't a bad way to start. Unfortunately, this path was usually occupied by the school thugs and laze-abouts, so she treaded carefully, watching and listening to her surroundings intensively. If anything should happen, she could easily run away - being one of the top players on the girl's tennis team had its perks, of course.

As she made her way down the unfamiliar back alley, she did see a few people lingering around, and made sure not to make eye-contact with anyone. But even she noticed the air was different here, or at least different than what she was expecting. The students back here talked quietly, almost as though in awe or amazement of something. One person spoke quickly, making wild gestures with his hands while a few people surrounding him watched on with excitement. Against her better judgement, Tsubomi walked a little slower, if only to hear what had everyone so hushed up back here.

Certainly nothing this exciting was ever worth talking about on the other side of the school building.

"And then - oh man, you shoulda been there - he grabbed the guy by the frikkin' face, and they started - get this - they started flying up hundreds of feet in the air!"

"What?! You're kidding!"

"Yeah! He was beatin' the crap outta this dude without even touching him! Like the shadow leader from Black Vinegar, you get me?"

"Holy shit, he really _is_ our White-T Poison…!"

"He's so unassuming, though… who'd've guessed it'd be _him_ , of all people?"

...Tsubomi had _no_ idea what they were talking about. But whatever it was, it sounded intriguing, if not a little far-fetched. It was as if the guy was telling a fairytale story, and she might not have believed it had she not been a witness to strange powers and occurrences like that before. Only one person she knew could make weird things happen, but…

She hastily exited the school yard and headed home.

The next day was mostly uneventful, but that quiet hush from before seemed to have spread over the majority of the school. Something had changed, no question, and her curiosity was beginning to get to her. The break in-between classes was always a blessing, and she took her time walking through the school hallways. This time, she wasn't actively listening to any conversations, until one had caught her attention.

"...Yeah, but did you actually _see_ him, though? Who knew Mob had it in him..?"

 _...Mob?_

The other student had wanted to say more, but was quickly shushed when the boy in question sauntered in their direction slowly.

"Alarmed" was one way to put Tsubomi's feelings in that moment. The scratches, large bruises, and scarring were absolutely jarring to see on the reserved boy's face. He kept his head down, the usual blank look on his features marred by what could best be described as tired. Not tired as though he had been exercising a lot or awake for an extended period of time, but rather an emotional exhaustion that definitely didn't belong on the face of a gentle middle schooler such as himself. Tsubomi almost called out to him, if only to ask him what on earth had happened, but she held her tongue.

Just… how long had it been since they talked with each other? They were pretty good friends when they were younger, but having grown up now only meant they had also grown apart. There was a strange ache in her chest, to rekindle that friendship, but she decided to save it for another day.

The words of the school gangsters from yesterday came back to the forefront of her mind, and she found herself feeling somewhat conflicted at this bizarre turn of events. Mob never stood out, or at least he never tried. He never drew attention to himself, both positive or negative, and yet here he was before her appearing as though he had just gotten through a small war and a half by himself. Exactly how much had changed since they moved on with their lives? Had they really "grown up" so much? How much had changed?

In that moment, Mob glanced up and caught her eye. He blushed and curled in on himself immediately.

"Ts-Tsubomi-chan! Good aft-afternoon!" he squeaked out. She smiled sweetly in return.

"Good afternoon, Mob-kun. Are you…?" she gestured to her own face, and he fidgeted even more (if that was even possible right now) under her gaze.

"I'm- I'm fine! I, um… I'm okay…."

Huh. So much for getting answers from him. That was fine, though, if he didn't want to talk. It really wasn't her business anyways. The school bell rang, and the students in the hallways began making their way back to their classrooms.

"Well, I'll be going. See you later then, Mob-kun," Tsubomi waved and took her leave without waiting for a response from him.

"S-see you… later…."

Tsubomi glanced back and watched him take a moment to catch his breath before shaking himself off and continue walking to class, head lowered and presence kept on the down-low as per usual. She smiled and directed herself to her own classroom. It was nice to see that some things hadn't changed, but she decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay closer attention to her old friend. He remained an enigma to those around him, but at the very least, growing up had made him, surprisingly, interesting in her eyes.

It wouldn't hurt to talk to him again sometime soon.


	7. Calm Down

Reigen had stayed up late. Again. He was awake until the wee hours of the morning "working", if anyone had asked, but in reality, time was so easily lost while surfing the net. He had finally turned in around 3:30am or so, and was just falling into a very deep slumber when his phone began to ring, and rather loudly at that. He opened his eyes blearily and tried to discern the name spelled out on his caller ID. No dice, the sleepy haze of his mind made it difficult to recognize any letter patterns, but at the very least, it must've been a name in his contacts list since it didn't look to be a random string of numbers. He flipped the phone open and cleared his throat.

"Hello…?" His voice was more hoarse than he'd ever heard it. _Ouch_. If he sounded like that on a normal day, people would question his authority for sure.

"M-Master?" a shaky voice responded on the other line. Reigen pulled the phone away from his ear and squinted at the caller ID again in the blinding light of the screen. Only one person called him that, and sure enough…

"...Mob? Why are you awake at this ungodly hour?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up a little more so he could be even a little more coherent and attentive to his student's problems at… 4:08 in the morning.

"..."

"...Mob?"

Complete silence had fallen over the boy on the other side of the conversation, and Reigen sat up, bringing his full attention to the device at his ear.

"Mob, what's going on?"

He heard some shuffling sounds and a quiet gasp.

"...I'm just… oh god…"

Now Reigen was on high alert, and he grasped the phone with both hands.

"H-hey, are you hurt? What happened?" At this point, he began tearing himself out of bed, ready to throw his coat and shoes on to find him and figure out what the hell was going on.

"No, no… I'm relieved. I just… wanted to hear you, that's all," Mob quickly stopped his mentor in his tracks. Reigen sat back down, still skeptical of the situation, and he tried to slow his pounding heart down.

"You sound a little more than just relieved, Mob," he accused. Something had shaken his student badly enough to call him, "just to hear him", apparently, and he had a feeling he knew what had occurred. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

"...I failed you."

"What was that?"

More shuffling noises could be heard before Shigeo spoke again, voice weaker and quieter than before.

"I-I failed to exorcise a powerful spirit… I couldn't stop it, and y-you… I…."

A small sob, stifled by a hand, sounded out through the phone's earpiece, and Reigen found himself at a loss for words. He was used to dealing with people who were upset or angry, but with people who were crying, especially children, he always found it a little more than difficult to find the right words to say.

"Hey hey, calm down. It was nothing more than a bad dream. You and I are both still here, it's okay," he tried, but still Shigeo took more than a moment to respond.

"It felt so real… I couldn't control myself afterwards, and everything was destroyed… it all felt so _real_ ," he nearly whispered, voice still quavering. This situation needed to be rectified immediately, and Reigen decided right there that he would talk until his disciple felt even the slightest semblance of peace tonight.

"Listen to me, Mob. You can hear my voice right now, right?" He received no response this time, but a slight brushing sound made him assume the boy had nodded. "Then you should know that, no matter how real that dream felt, that's all it was: a dream."

"Y-yeah…"

Reigen tapped his chin in thought before speaking up again.

"Where are you right now?"

"In my room… I was asleep until a little while ago."

"Yeah, same here. Why don't you go get yourself something to drink, like milk or water, okay?"

"What if I wake someone up?"

"Don't worry about it, just go on," Reigen flapped a hand dismissively. The next moment, he heard more shuffling sounds, and he guessed that he had stood up to leave.

"Um… I think I used my powers in my sleep again," Shigeo muttered softly and, Reigen presumed, he began using his powers to move furniture away from his bedroom door. That dream must have been more intense than he'd initially thought. _Poor kid_. Shigeo didn't speak for a long time as he did what he was told, then returned to his room for his next set of instructions.

"Feeling better?"

"I am. Thank you," Shigeo replied politely.

"Good. Go ahead and lie down, then. You should fall asleep much easier now."

He received more silence, in what Reigen took to be hesitation. Understandable, but this was the best option he could think of. He sighed and rubbed at his face again.

"Do you need me to come over there?"

"No, it's fine… It's fine." It sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself that everything was okay.

"Mob, just calm down. The mind is very powerful, and will sometimes show you what you fear in your dreams, but you can't let it beat you. Just calm down, and don't let your fears win, alright?"

"...Okay." Another bout of hesitant silence resounded before he could hear movement on the other line. Shigeo finally complied after a minute of deliberation.

"Now close your eyes, and when you inhale, hold your breath for about 5 seconds before releasing slowly. Simple enough, right?"

Shigeo hummed in acknowledgement and, again, did as he was told. It didn't take long - perhaps about 5 minutes or so - before his breathing had evened itself out. Reigen called out for him once or twice just to be certain that he was well and truly sleeping, and he smiled at his success. He laid back down, ready to go back to sleep at - he glanced at a clock on the nightstand - 4:54am.

"Have a good night, Mob. You should know I still expect you at work bright and early tomorrow morning."

Reigen closed his phone gently and laid it back on the nightstand, before he himself drifted off to blissful sleep.


	8. Smoke

There was nothing quite like a good smoke at the end of a long day of work. Not in the office, of course, but Reigen stood just outside the office building, leaned up against the wall. He closed his eyes and took in a long drag - today had been just a little bit stressful, but thank goodness Mob was there to help him out in a pinch. He had already sent his disciple on his way home a while ago, and now began winding down a little before he needed to make that long trek home. Taking another breath of the smokey toxin, he thought back on the events of the day.

"Lady, how on Earth did you get an evil spirit stuck to the inside of your sock, of all places?" he muttered quietly. That case had been only one of several today that might've gone awry if Mob hadn't been there.

He depended on his student a lot, didn't he?

Their falling out some time ago had really put things into perspective. And the conclusion he had come to then still held true to this day, that Mob really had grown up. Thinking on the topic of growing up, though…

" _Master, my teacher at school told us that smoking is bad for you." A 10-year old Shigeo looked up at Reigen as he lit another cigarette._

" _Oh yeah? She's right, you know." He kept the window open when he smoked in the office, but since he had taken the young esper under his wing, he was beginning to think that even that might not be good enough for the boy's health. He was ruining his own, not trying to ruin someone else's - particularly a child's - so he probably shouldn't do it indoors anymore._

" _If smoking is bad, why are you doing it?" Shigeo was the picture of innocence, staring at the older man curiously._

" _Well you see, my powers are so strong, that sometimes I need a little help controlling them. Smoking calms me down, so my powers don't go out of control," the fib rolled easily off of his tongue, but it was seriously becoming harder to lie to the little guy. "But! This doesn't work for everyone. Different espers have different ways of dealing with control." Reigen made a show of sizing Mob up and down before continuing. "Just looking at you, I can tell that smoking will not help you with control. In fact, it may do just the exact opposite."_

 _Shigeo looked rightfully horrified at this revelation. Good._

" _W-what should I do?"_

" _Quite simple! Just listen to me, and everything will be fine. You will probably lose all control of your powers with no hope of getting it back if you smoke. You don't want that, right?"_

 _The boy shook his head quickly, eyes focused as he soaked in every word that was spoken to him._

" _Good! We'll find something that works for you. In the meantime, just keep yourself healthy and happy, okay?"_

" _Yes, Master! Thank you!"_

Reigen could scarcely believe that conversation had taken place a little over 5 years ago. He replayed the scene a few times in his mind before he took the cigarette out of his mouth, snuffing it out on the bottom of his shoe, and began making his way back home.

Perhaps now was as good a time as any to find a way to quit the awful habit.


	9. Haunted

Ichi Mezato, the up-and-coming journalist and ace photographer of Salt Middle School, was absolutely dumbfounded. Her most recent photo - printed for the school to use after being approved - had her befuddled, and she studied the picture again and again.

Leading the Psycho Helmet Cult in circles over who their leader could possibly be was fun, but trying to convince Mob to step forward was something else entirely. The cult had requested more pictures to confirm if their leader could really be him, so she was left to her "research" ("stalking" might be a better word, but she wouldn't admit it). This latest picture, however…

The picture was a simple one: Mob, at waist-height and just a little off-center to the right, was staring at something beyond the borders of the photo. To be honest, the picture itself was actually rather charming, with the lighting just right and the background accenting the image nicely. She had asked for permission (this time), and something had caught his attention at the last moment. For such a plain-looking boy, he could be photogenic without even trying, really.

But all of these lovely details went unnoticed as her eyes were glued to the spot just above her subject's right shoulder. It was faint, but very much visible: a hazy spot of green with two red spots in the midst of it. It almost appeared to be a gaseous form of some kind, but Mezato was not entirely convinced that it could be anything but an unnatural occurrence.

 _A ghost?_

What a childish thought, but she'd seen more than her fair share of the supernatural, and she'd seen firsthand just how powerful the boy in the photo could be. It wouldn't hurt to ask him, then, if he knew what exactly was going on with her picture; perhaps he could shed some light on this bizarre phenomenon. As soon as the final school bell for the day rang, she gathered her belongings quickly and marched right up to Shigeo's desk.

"Mob! I have a question for you!"

Shigeo, surprised by the sudden outburst, nearly dropped his books before he hurriedly caught himself and stood upright.

"M-Mezato-senpai? What's wrong?" he sputtered out, clutching the books to his chest almost protectively.

"Tell me, what is this?" she held the strange photo out, and he took it carefully and examined it closely.

"...A picture of me, right?"

"No no! Look, above your shoulder here," she pointed to the spot in question, "Do you see it? That green stuff. What is it?"

Mob stared at the photo closely for a while, before mumbling something quietly. It almost sounded like he said "dimple". _Weird, I wasn't pointing anywhere near his face._ He glanced up quickly after scrutinizing the photo for another few seconds. It was disturbing how he sometimes had a way of gaining a serious edge to that blank look in his eyes.

"Your photograph is haunted," he stated simply.

Mezato stared at him before a dignified "Huh?" left her lips. He handed the picture back to her and motioned for her to follow him.

"A spirit is haunting your picture. My master can exorcise it for you."

"...I have no idea what you're talking about, but okay."

She followed Mob wordlessly until they came upon an office building a few blocks away from the school. _Spirits and Such Consultation?_ _This ought to be interesting._ Through the front doors and up one flight of stairs, they reached an office door, which Mob opened without bothering to knock first.

"Welcome! How can I- oh, Mob! Good to see ya!" a man inside greeted him jovially. Mob nodded in response and stepped aside, gesturing to Mezato.

"Master, I brought someone who needs your help," he turned to her briefly, "this is Master Reigen, and she's Mezato-Senpai."

The man at the desk appeared stunned for a moment before he put a friendly smile on and stood to shake her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mezato-san! So, you require one of my many talents?" Reigen flicked his gaze to Mob for a second as he asked this. She proffered the picture in return.

"Mob says my photo is haunted. I don't really know how that's possible, but… here." Once again, the photo was taken for close inspection, but this time instead of a blank, emotionless stare, Reigen's face went through various stages of suspicion, surprise, then shock, in that order. He finally settled on a confident smirk, waving the photo in one hand.

"A haunted photo, indeed! This type of nasty spirit is easy to dispel, something a little graphic exorcism should solve in no time!" he sauntered back to his desk and sat down, continuing, "Give me about an hour, and your photo will soon be ghost-free. I'll even do this for no charge, seeing as you're Mob's friend and all."

"A-alright, thank you."

That was pretty generous, but she had the nagging feeling that both Reigen-san and Mob knew something that she didn't about that green… thing. Whatever it was. If it really was a haunted picture, she wondered how many of her other photos might've been affected by this ghost. She suddenly had the urge to go home and look back through all of her photos that had Mob in them.

Sure enough, approximately one hour later, Mezato received a ghost-free photo. As she took her leave, she could swear Reigen-san said something about deducting the fee from Mob's pay. Peculiar, but she chose to ignore it for now.

Really, the photo was very nice, and without that green blob of gas right in the middle to distract her, she was able to finally truly appreciate this image's beauty. It suddenly looked so natural and right, and somehow, Mob being at the center of it all brought everything together. She looked to her friend a few paces behind her. He seemed to be whispering to no one in particular about being more careful, only to wince slightly a second later as though he were being shouted at.

Mezato brought her attention back to the photo in her hands and smiled. Maybe some things were just better off left unexplained.


	10. Hair

It was truly a mystery how Teru's hair had grown back so fast. If asked, Teru would either tell you it's because he's an esper or he would avoid the question entirely. The close shave he'd received from Shigeo should've lasted for months, yet his hair had grown back a considerable amount in as little as a few weeks. And now, as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he came to a single, disdainful conclusion.

"I need a haircut."

In the past, he preferred to grow his hair out a little, at least to the jawline. It gave him something of a debonair image to the people he surrounded himself with. It had also given him an excuse to check his reflection every so often - he _had_ to be perfect. Now, he would absolutely rather have much shorter hair. It was much easier to manage, and since he didn't need to worry about it looking good, it gave him more time to focus on things that were really important.

Yet the situation proved to be a strange one, as this was the third haircut he'd gotten in that month alone. Maybe it was an obsession (a ghost of his former self coming back to haunt him, perhaps), or maybe he knew something that no one else did, and was determined to not let the secret out to the public.

To anyone who wasn't paying attention, his haircut would look exactly the same as it had for the past month, but Teru would beg to differ. His hair was _at least_ 1.5cm longer than it had been - a complete disaster!

...Even he was willing to admit that a certain amount of obsession may be at play there. Knowing this, he had to save face, as anyone would call him out on visiting a barbershop for the fourth time that month, for sure. The only one he could think of who wouldn't judge him was Shigeo. Heck, the boy could probably do it for him! So he could save face and save money - a win-win situation for him! Teru whipped out his phone and swiftly dialed the friend in question.

"Hey, Kageyama-kun! You're pretty good with knives, aren't you?"

Teru would later come to regret this decision; as it turned out, Shigeo hadn't the slightest idea what he was doing, and his friend's haircut turned into what a 2 and a half year old's art project might look like if they were trying hard be fair, this meant that now he wouldn't have to go get his hair cut again anytime soon, so he could save money in this way instead.

Whether or not the tears he cried were of devastation or relief at this outcome, no one would ever quite know for sure.


	11. Fight

Summer break couldn't have come fast enough for everyone. The sweltering sun and dry air made it difficult to do much of anything, whether it was work or school-related. And the very first day of the break, Shou animatedly declared that they needed to head to the lake for "a little R&R", as he put it. In Ritsu's personal lexicon, "rest" and "relaxation" were nowhere near Shou's name, so he was set on high-alert immediately. But the hot weather was unrelenting in it's attack, so he agreed to join the rest of the group, with Shou, himself, Shigeo, Teruki, Reigen, and Serizawa.

That was a ragtag bunch of people, if he'd ever seen one.

He remained suspicious of the situation while everyone else seemed blissfully unaware. They arrived at the lakefront and set their bags down. Reigen took Serizawa aside and set up a barbeque to show him how to properly grill burgers and other food items, while Shigeo and Teru chatted idly about anything. Ritsu sat at a bench and watched the scenery before him. Nothing unusual as far as he could tell. There were other people at the lakefront, too, so whatever was being planned, _if_ anything was being planned, wouldn't be too extreme. At least, he hoped. He decided then that it wouldn't hurt to relax for a bit. That's what they were here for, after all. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute before his eyes shot open and he sat up straight again.

 _Where is Shou?_

He received his answer only half a second later when a bright blue water balloon whizzed by his head and hit Shigeo square in the chest. Everyone gaped, Shigeo was stunned silent, and laughter from somewhere behind Ritsu could be heard.

"Gotcha good, Kageyama! Ha ha ha!"

Ritsu might've seen just the barest hint of red at the corner of his vision at that moment, but before he could say or do anything, Reigen called out to Shigeo as he jogged over, a bag in his hand.

"Oi, Mob! You're not just gonna sit there and take that, are you?" The bag revealed two large, brightly colored water guns, and he and Shigeo brandished one each. Within seconds, they began opening fire on the red-haired esper.

"Oh shit!" Shou yelped and leapt behind Ritsu on the bench, using him as literal human shield from the spray.

"Shou, what-" Ritsu started, but was cut off when a wave of combined fire from each water gun hit him head-on. "Dammit, Reigen-san! Niisan, why?!" Shigeo, a slightly amused look in his eye, could only shrug lightly. _So they were already prepared for something like this…_ A sharp slap on his shoulder blade brought him back to the task at hand as Shou held two water balloons out to him.

"You know what to do!"

On the one hand, he could be completely mature about this and refuse. He could join Teru and Serizawa with the food (at the very least, nothing was burning just yet) and leave these simpletons and his older brother to their water fight. On the other hand, people were already staring, and under the hot sun, the water felt _really_ good. He looked to Shou with a mischievous glint in his eye as he accepted the ammunition.

"Just this once."

Nearly an hour later, the four were worn out and practically waterlogged. No clear victor had been declared, but Ritsu made sure to hit Reigen a few extra times for good measure, while he avoided hitting Shigeo entirely. At one point, they had all turned on Shou and he had to resist using his powers to shield himself from the oncoming fire. The word "traitor" was thrown around several times, but it wasn't as though Ritsu really cared. He'd been the one to start the fight, after all.

They returned to the table to find the food was more or less done, if just slightly on the burnt side, but Serizawa and Teru had done a pretty good job finishing up lunch. They spent the next couple hours chatting and relaxing while they ate, and swam around for a bit in the lake. By the time the sun was setting and they were leaving, the six of them were sleepy, soaked, sunburnt, and satisfied.

It wasn't planned, but Ritsu liked to think this was an ideal way to start the summer break, and he wouldn't mind doing this again with them sometime soon.


	12. Aura

Despite being a powerful esper, the one thing Shigeo had trouble with most (in regards to psychic powers) was reading auras. If he'd been even slightly good at it, he probably wouldn't have as much trouble "getting a clue", as it had been posed to him before. Ritsu and Teru didn't seem to have any issues with it, and for all he knew, Shou simply didn't care.

"Master, do you know how to read auras?" Mob finally worked up the nerve to ask one day. If anyone would know, Reigen certainly would be the person to talk to. At being addressed, Reigen paused his newspaper perusal and glanced over the top of the page.

"What a weird question. Why do you ask?"

It didn't take long to get an answer - after all, this has been a question on the esper's mind since he was quite young.

"I want to do better when it comes to 'getting a clue'. Knowing how to read auras, or at least the people, might help."

Reigen closed the newspaper and placed a hand to his chin, deep in thought. After a minute or two passed, Shigeo started to speak, and apology already forming on his lips, but he was cut off.

"Reading auras won't help you there. Actually, it would be better to figure a person out by context clues alone."

That was not what Shigeo had been expecting, and he stared dumbfoundedly until his master got the message.

"I suppose that's easier said than done. Reading auras COULD help, but you really don't need to use powers for that scenario. You could get as much information as you possibly could with body language and appearance alone. Does that make sense?"

Of course it didn't, and a firm shake of his head confirmed as much. With a deep sigh, Reigen stood from his desk and beckoned Shigeo to follow.

"Let me show you something real quick."

* * *

A few minutes later found them sat upon a bench some ways away from the Spirits and Such Consultation office. The street they looked out on wasn't particularly busy, but there were enough people meandering about that Reigen thought it to be perfect.

"Alright, given your troubles in the past, this is probably going to be kinda difficult. The whole purpose of this is to show you that you don't need to use powers to read people, got it?"

"Yes Master."

"Good! Now, let's see here…"

Searching for a second, he spotted a woman across the street frantically balancing two armloads of groceries while speaking on a cell phone propped between her ear and shoulder.

"Alrighty then, what do you think about her? What can you tell about her just by watching?" He pointed her out to Shigeo purposefully. Shigeo pondered for a moment before answering earnestly.

"She's… pretty? And she looks kinda busy…"

"...Well, that's a start. But notice her outfit, her actions… anything? "

They watched for a minute longer, but Shigeo shook his head. He really didn't understand what this had to do with auras.

"Okay, I'll break it down for you," Reigen leaned forward slightly, "She looks to be a business woman of some kind - notice her attire? Casual, as though it's her day off, yet nice enough to keep up appearances in spite of this. Clearly, she's someone who values her looks. Probably a mother too, given the amount of groceries she's carrying. Married, as indicated by the ring on her left hand. She doesn't look too happy about whoever she's talking on the phone with - most likely a co-worker rather than her husband, since she is trying to keep her voice down and she's speaking with something of a formal tone, rather than a familiar one."

Shigeo gaped as Reigen leaned back on the bench. Before he could say anything, the older man spoke up again.

"You're probably wondering what this has to do with auras. You want to read auras to figure out people and situations, right? I'm willing to bet that if we went over and talked with her right now, she'd blow us off, too stressed to deal with us." Reigen sat up straight and pointed out a young man sleeping under a tree. "This guy looks pretty easy. Why not give it a shot?" Shigeo nodded and concentrated on what he could see.

Going by the example left for him with the woman from before, it was a little easier to figure out what kind of a person this guy was. A young man, likely a student judging by the book bag he was using as a pillow. There were stress lines on his face and dark circles under his eyes - probably from many late nights studying for whatever reason. His outfit was incredibly casual - could be mistaken for pajamas if anyone weren't paying attention. Coupled with his messy hair and - were those flip flops? This guy apparently didn't care much for appearances. An all work, no play sort of person? Any conversations with him would probably be very boring or one-sided.

Shigeo posed this introspection to Reigen, and received a bright grin in response.

"You're getting the idea! Honestly, I'm impressed - didn't think you'd catch on so quick." he patted Shigeo's head, "Do you see what I'm getting at now? Just by looking at someone close enough, you were able to glean a ton of information! You don't need to use powers to figure out a person or a situation. It's all about context clues!"

It was beginning to make sense, and Shigeo could see now why Reigen seemed to be completely at ease when dealing with clients of all types. Such a feat was still far from his reach, but he knew so much more from this experience alone than anything his powers might've been able to accomplish for him.

"Context clues… I'll remember this. Thank you, Master Reigen."

"Of course! Let's get back to the office then, before anyone thinks we've closed for the day." They stood and began walking down the path towards the office building quickly, Shigeo just a few paces behind. As they walked, he began to carefully watch his master's back.

...No luck. Despite knowing his master so well, he was difficult to read, being so good at masking his actions all the time. In his eyes, all he saw was a genuinely good person, but there must be something more there. Something… _lonely?_

As quickly as this idea had popped into his head, Reigen glanced over his shoulder with a friendly smile.

"Hey, pick up the pace a little. We can relax once we get back."

He could've been wrong about this speculation, but Shigeo decided to stow this idea away for now. Attempting to figure out more about Master Reigen right now would be way too much work, after all. Starting with watching Ritsu or Hanazawa should prove to be interesting, but his mentor could wait another day.


	13. Awakening

There was a time when Shou didn't have psychic powers. He was too young to remember such a time, but the fact that he was an "awakened" esper and not a "natural" told him as much. It was hard for him to imagine life without powers - he supposed it made sense, as this must be how "regular" people feel.

Yet how much trouble had he experienced in life _because_ of these powers?

He'd spent his days upon weeks upon months all in preparation of taking down his old man, and even then his efforts had amounted to nothing. How many times had he considered giving up? How many people, including his own mother, had he pushed away just to fix his life? He had no friends, barely any family, and yet…

" _Ritsu! Let's hang out!"_

" _...You couldn't have picked a worse time… but sure, why not?"_

Yet there was someone, he found, who was just like him. Well, not ENTIRELY like him, but the fact that he, too, was an awakened esper meant a lot to him. Sure, he'd been surrounded by awakened espers at the Claw headquarters, but no one quite understood. No one there had awakened their powers without artificial means. Ritsu, on the other hand, had his own fair share of strife to deal with before, had his own goals he'd wanted to accomplish, only to have them fall apart the moment he thought he was prepared.

It sure wasn't easy to have the one person you looked up to be the one you wanted to defeat at the same time.

Two awakened espers, leading such different lives, but they were also very much the same. Both had strode forward with confidence when they obtained psychic powers, only to be knocked down a few pegs in the end. They both dealt with the same emotions in different ways though, he had found. Ritsu was the kind of person who wasn't afraid to put you in your place if you weren't his older brother. _Workaholic_ , it took way too much effort to convince the guy to have some freaking fun every once in awhile. Shou, on the other hand, hid a lot of his feelings away, living by the words that life was "way too short to waste it". He wouldn't pass up an opportunity to play, but clammed up and laughed it off when asked about himself personally.

It's true what they say, that "opposites attract", and it couldn't be more true for the two of them. An odd pair, the both of them, but Shou, to this day, was still surprised that Ritsu had actually befriended him in the end, in spite of everything they'd been through.

How blessed to be an awakened esper. Shou couldn't even begin to imagine how different his life might've been without being one. He thanked his lucky stars everyday (or at least, when he remembered to) for the opportunity most people would never even dream of getting to have.


	14. Exercise

Musashi could be considered a proud person. No, not prideful for himself, but rather he was proud of the people he was often surrounded by. He never judged, either: more than a few times, students would join his Body Improvement Club only to quit a week or two later after they found they weren't cut out for the regime. Actually, he commended those people for even giving it a try and knowing their limits instead of forcing themselves to keep going when their heart wasn't in it. And when a fellow member achieved their goal or broke a personal record, it was almost like he too was succeeding, and it filled him with great joy. That was the true essence of a club president, he supposed.

One member in particular always caught his attention, more so than the others, he dared to say. Kageyama, the introverted, quiet boy who had eagerly joined their group with such a fire in his eyes… how could anyone _not_ be inspired by him? His progress was slower than the others, sure, but it would be an absolute untruth to say he didn't try his best, and he worked just as hard, if not harder, than even Musashi himself! Commendable, that boy had spirit and guts, and had made remarkable progress with himself.

Even today, out on their daily run, Kageyama - who used to fall so far behind and faint after overexertion - was now able to keep up with them and didn't collapse anymore. If ever he needed an example of how hard work paid off, Musashi would simply point them in the boy's direction.

One thing that had really stuck out to him was his willpower. When Kageyama first joined the club, he'd been offered to have an exercise protocol created specifically for him, but the offer was turned down considerably quickly. He didn't want any handicaps or anything to be made easy for him. He wanted the same exercise routine the other members had, despite the difference in physical fitness levels.

Though he had no trouble with his own routines, Musashi could almost say that Kageyama was the club role model. Not just himself, but even Ryohei, Jun, Hiroshi, and Hideki were inspired by his efforts. Heck, even Onigawara looked up to him, though he'd probably never admit it.

"F...FIGHT ON..!" Kageyama rasped as he collapsed backwards onto the grass. He'd finally done it and beaten his record for their daily run. It had been a while since he'd broken any records, and the victory was well-earned. Musashi and the rest of the club members swooped in immediately and tossed him into the air several times, accompanied by cheers and congratulations. It was almost humorous to see him ragdoll through the air, but the smile on his face, small as it was, betrayed his utter exhaustion.

There were no questions, no doubts in his mind: Kageyama was truly an admirable person, and the power of the human spirit was truly strong. If what he witnessed every day wasn't enough to convince someone of this fact, Musashi remained certain that nothing ever would.

Yes, he was truly, truly proud of his team.


	15. Possession

Could possessing a human be considered wearing a disguise? If asked, Dimple would probably tell you to mind your own business, but there were some undeniable similarities between the two. One had better benefits, though: it was tough to catch an evil spirit red-handed.

Unless, of course, you were an esper.

Dimple had to be cautious about whose body he took over in one's presence. If he possessed Reigen, for example, without permission, Shigeo would probably send him to an early grave (jokes intended). He found that "asking before doing" was always the safest route in the situations that called for it, so he complied as best as he could.

This situation was just a _little_ bit different than the others, though.

"What do you mean you've never had takoyaki? Are you serious?" Reigen, half-standing at his desk, stared incredulously at the evil spirit.

"Do I look like I'm messing around with you? I've seen you and Shigeo eat that stuff, and lemme tell ya: it looks _terrible_." Dimple nearly laughed when Reigen's jaw practically hit the floor. It was way too easy to get the conman riled up, which usually led to some interesting conversations. Reigen pulled himself together and waved his hand carelessly.

"I guess it makes sense, seeing as you're just a spirit. Why, I bet you'd never even had the delicacy when you were alive. You simply have no taste."

Dimple was almost offended. Almost.

"First off, no, I didn't eat that crap when I was alive. Why should I? I already told you it looks awful. And second, what do you mean, _just_ a spirit?" He flew right up to the man's face and sprouted arms, spreading them wide to either side. "I'm the spirit that's going to become God! So don't piss me off, or I'll smite you first!"

Reigen flapped his hand at Dimple in a sad attempt to fan him off as he walked to the door leading out of the office.

"If you were going to become God, you would've done it already. And that's not the point here." He put a hand on the door but paused before he turned it. "...You know, I feel like this issue needs to be fixed before anything else. Why don't you follow me for a bit?" He exited the office with Dimple not too far behind.

"There are no issues that need fixing here! And don't tell me what to do!"

Reigen mostly ignored Dimple until they arrived at his usual takoyaki stand, and he ordered the regular course. He sat down somewhere close by and pondered their next move.

"Alright, you little green pest, let's dig in,"

"Uh, did you forget? I can't eat that, Numbskull," Dimple replied with what could've been mistaken for saltiness in his tone. Reigen only scoffed in response.

"Do you think I'm stupid or something?" He ignored the spirit when a resounding "yes" came out of his mouth. "I'm telling you to take control so you can try this."

It was understatement to say that Dimple was rather taken aback by the bold order. It took him a second to recompose himself before he could speak again.

"Do you have ANY idea what Shigeo will do to me if he finds out I've possessed you? You're insane!" Reigen's bored expression told him otherwise.

"Mob will be fine as long as you don't make me say or do anything you're going to regret. And I'm giving you permission here," he held a hand out, "just to try this. Come on." Dimple floated a little closer, hesitation and skepticism apparent.

"...You're awfully eager about this."

"Hey, if the opportunity to prove YOU wrong is practically handed to me on a platter, I'd be a fool not to take it."

Dimple muttered something about him being a fool regardless before leaping forward and taking control.

...Huh. So this is what the peak of physical exhaustion was like. It wouldn't kill the guy to drink more water, too, but whatever. He glanced down to the small box on his lap and lifted the lid. The takoyaki was steaming inside, and, admittedly, didn't smell half-bad. Taking one out of the box, he scrutinized it closely.

"God, I hope I'm right about this."

One bite and- good lord, that was _hot_! That, or Reigen was just that sensitive (which he was), but Dimple had more dignity than to spit it out right there, so he choked it down painfully. Given a few minutes of waiting for them to cool down, he tried again, and found that he was pleasantly surprised by the savory mix of flavors. He might even go so far as to say they were delicious, even. Before he knew it, the box was empty and, with a shameless shrug, he exited his host.

"Wha- you ate ALL of them?" Reigen cried out in disbelief.

"What can I say? I guess you were right about them after all."

"You… you didn't even save any for me!"

"Well, considering it was your body, you technically were the one who ate them all."

While Reigen was thrilled that Dimple had been wrong, he was still rightfully upset about losing out on one of his favorite dishes. He bought another course and began making his way back home, all the while questioning why his tongue and throat were so burnt.


	16. Spirits

Shigeo had exorcised many a spirit here and there, but even he had personal limitations. As an example, he would only exorcise a spirit if it were evil and/or doing harm to the people around it. Truly, he'd been surprised to find out just how many there were that were causing trouble. Right under his nose, even, but he hadn't taken any notice until he started working with Reigen.

On that note, he was grateful that Reigen understood where he was coming from in regards to his personal views on exorcising spirits. The family of spirits they'd encountered before, as well as a couple other situations they'd encountered before, proved as much.

Shigeo hadn't expected a situation like this to come up any time soon, however. Per the usual, Reigen had him gather up his belongings to head out on a job. This time seemed different, and his master was just a little quieter and more subdued than normal. When he asked about the job details, Reigen, expression blank, explained calmly, "Our client's grandfather passed away about a month ago, and ever since, there have been strange happenings around the home. He's asked us to put his spirit to rest."

It was different from their usual line of work, but they, naturally, wouldn't turn away a person in need. There were several instances where Shigeo had been able to talk an evil spirit out of its bad deeds, and other times where an evil spirit would find peace and leave on its own. He'd never had to guide a soul to rest before though, and he worried that he'd mess up or wouldn't be able to do it properly.

Eventually, the pair arrived at the client's home, where he described the bizarre occurrences around the house, from the piano playing by itself to hammering noises in the household garage. Reigen assured the client that he had nothing to worry about, and that he and his student would resolve the matter immediately. As they spoke, Shigeo took the opportunity to scope out the home, and found the spirit considerably fast. He had been watching both him and Reigen carefully since they entered the house.

"Y-young man, you can see me?" the spirit spoke in a quavering voice. Shigeo took a moment to respond, taking in each detail of the elderly spirit before him as it materialized into view.

"I have psychic powers. Your grandson called us here to send you off." Immediately and unsurprisingly, Shigeo was met with feelings of fear and hesitation. There was absolutely no hostility here, and he suddenly felt like he was being incredibly straightforward with the lost soul. "He only wants for you to find peace."

"But… but I _belong_ here," the spirit tried again. "My whole life… my family… everyone is here…."

At this point, the client and Reigen stepped into the room, halting the moment they caught sight of the ghost and Shigeo talking.

"Oh, you found him! Good job!" Reigen took a few paces toward the spirit. "I'm Reigen Arataka, and I see you've met Mob already. I trust he's already told you what we're here for, yes?" The spirit seemed to curl in on itself protectively.

"I'm… afraid. I… I want to leave, but I'm too afraid. My whole life… I was a carpenter. I built so many beautiful things, even this very house," he looked about the home wistfully before his gaze stopped on the piano. "Ah… I learned how to play the piano just to get _her_ attention, you know…." The client, who had remained silent behind them the entire time, spoke up at that moment.

"You're talking about Grandma, right?" Shigeo and Reigen glanced at him before he continued, "Grandma died a little over 2 years ago, and Grandpa had been kinda lost without her since."

"And how I've missed her! We swore we would do everything together, then she goes and leaves before me," the spirit shook his head sadly. Shigeo took a step closer.

"You can see her again. I'm sure she's been waiting patiently for you all this time." Instead of agreement though, more hesitation could be felt from him.

"But I'm too scared to go alone… she said she'd always be with me, and now I have to take this last step by myself…!"

"You won't be alone," Reigen spoke this time, still exhibiting a calm demeanor, "We'll be here, and before you know it, you'll be back with her. You'll never be by yourself again." The spirit looked between all of them, eyes meeting Shigeo's.

"You'd… you'd do that for me..?"

Shigeo nodded firmly, lifting his hands, palms outstretched, towards the spirit.

"We'll be right here with you until the end. You have my word."

After running his eyes over the home once more, he looked to his grandson and smiled sadly.

"Okay then. I'm ready."

The spirit placed his hands in Shigeo's, and was immediately enveloped in a soft but brilliant light. The light overtook the room for a minute or two, momentarily blinding everyone, and as it faded away, a whispered "thank you" could be heard.

A tearful client thanking them and one payment later, Reigen and Shigeo began their walk back to the office. The duration of their walk was mostly silent, as each contemplated what had just occurred.

"So, how did you do it?" Reigen finally broke the silence after a while. After considering the answer for a moment, Shigeo shook his head.

"All I did was place a barrier around him. He did all of the work on his own," he looked to Reigen as he continued to speak, "I think he just needed someone there to guide him and make him feel at peace before he went."

"That's… surprisingly profound. But it makes sense," Reigen shoved his hands into his pockets and tossed a casual grin towards Shigeo. "In any case, job well done, Mob. Why don't we get ramen to celebrate this success?"

"That would be great."

It was jobs like these that made Shigeo glad, glad that exorcising spirits wasn't all he was good for. That even a nobody like himself could bring peace to another lost soul.


	17. Ramen

"The prize is as good as mine, Hanazawa! Face it, I'm the best there is at this sort of thing!"

"Is that a challenge? Consider yourself defeated then, because that prize belongs to me!"

Of all the rotten luck… Reigen just HAD to take all of them out for ramen after they had all lent a hand dealing with a group of spirits that were hellbent on cutting down all of the trees in a nearby forest for whatever reason. Well, their little treat after the job wouldn't have been so bad, had he not been so kindly reminded of why he didn't usually invite the blond-haired kid or the red-head. One had an appetite that never saw an end, and the other would do almost anything to win a contest.

That being said, the challenge was to eat as many bowls of ramen as possible in 30 minutes. Whoever completed the most won… some weird hat or something? Reigen didn't know, but his poor wallet definitely did care. As the timer was set, Shou and Teru dug into their meals, not holding back whatsoever. Shigeo scooted away a little as the contest became just a bit on the messy side, and Serizawa watched the boys with an odd mixture of awe and fear.

"Almost impressive, those two. I'm kinda surprised you didn't join in, considering..." Ritsu spoke pointedly at Reigen, who returned the look with exasperation.

"Considering what, exactly? And no way I'd jump into a competition between these guys. I'd be ripped apart."

Ritsu mumbled something he couldn't hear and went back to his meal, and Reigen turned his attention to Dimple, who'd possessed a younger man's body for the sole purpose of joining in the meal.

"And why are YOU here? I didn't see you helping!"

Dimple deadpanned, a bored look in his eyes, before slurping up more noodles and taking his time to reply.

"That makes two of us then, since I didn't see you doing jack-shit either," he spoke curtly, jabbing his chopsticks in Reigen's direction, "And for your information, I ate all of the smaller spirits that just so happened to escape the explosions and exorcisms that were all happening at the same time!"

True, true, he _had_ assisted in that way, the little annoyance….

"Reigen-san, is everything okay? You're not eating..." Reigen turned to meet Serizawa's usual concerned face. He waved a hand dismissively as he picked up his chopsticks and started eating again. He realized he hadn't touched his own food in a while, too busy conversing with everyone else.

"Yeah, it's nothing you need to worry about. Also, this is your first time having ramen, right? How is it?" Serizawa's expression went from worried to pleasant as a bright smile filled his features.

"This is amazing! I wouldn't mind having 10 bowls of this stuff, honestly!"

Reigen laughed nervously as he glanced over at the two espers still going strong on their 6th or 7th bowl. Yikes.

"This almost makes me think of when we tried those large orders of ramen from before," Shigeo mumbled quietly and continued eating. Boy, did he remember that one. The large serving had been too much for his student, and he'd felt awfully sick afterwards. The misunderstanding when Reigen had tried explaining what happened to Ritsu over the phone was still awkward to this day, and the two of them had agreed never to speak of it again.

"HA! Feast your eyes, Suzuki! I'm the clear victor here!" Teru gestured to the absurdly large stack of bowls before them, then placed a hand on his chin. "It should come as no surprise that I'd be the winner."

"WHAT?! I demand a rematch! Right now!" Shou slammed his fists down onto the table, rattling the two towers of bowls dangerously. Teru tutted as he stood from his seat to claim his prize.

"Much as I would love to beat you two times in a row, I'm afraid we'll have to postpone the rematch for another time. I will gladly *Teru* you down then, too!" Teru placed the- God, what a stupid-looking hat! Was this contest really worth it? _Really_? Shou looked as though he were ready to blow his top, but Ritsu placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head disapprovingly. _Not here, not now_ , he seemed to say without speaking. With that settled, everyone wrapped up their meals and made to leave.

Reigen had to be carried home after passing out upon seeing the bill.


	18. Day Off

"Go on and take the rest of the day off. Mob's coming in a little later, and we don't have any more appointments for the day, so we're all good!"

"Y-you're sure? Absolutely sure?"

"Of course! We'll see you tomorrow, Serizawa."

It was yet another slow day at the office, and Reigen thought it would be best to save money by sending one of his employees home early. Serizawa had never had the afternoon off before and was rather stunned when his employer suddenly spoke up.

Normally, he had school or homework to keep him occupied when he wasn't at his job, but his school was currently on a break, so he wondered what he could possibly do to kill time. In the past, he would've sat in his room fearfully and whittled time away, alone with only his thoughts to keep him company. Later on, he did whatever Suzuki-san had told him to do when he joined Claw. He'd never really thought for himself at the time, he simply followed orders.

Now, he was just puzzled.

Suddenly, there was so much free time, more than he ever thought there could be. And he could do whatever he wanted, he could buy whatever he liked (that was within budget, of course), but he had no idea where to start. Thankfully, his stomach decided it was time for lunch, so he thought it would be best to go from there.

Now, what was it that Reigen-san had talked about before? Yaki… yaki-something. He'd said it was really, REALLY good (and had emphasized it to him as such), but he'd never had an opportunity to actually sit down somewhere to try it out. All he had to do now was remember what it was. Yakisoba? No, those were noodles, and as good as they were, he wasn't in the mood for it at the moment. Yakitori? Close, but that wasn't what Reigen-san had said, either. He glanced about the town and spotted a sign in a restaurant window: a special on… yakiniku! That was it! He made a beeline for the restaurant, eager to give this supposedly amazing dish a try.

With an employee's help, he was able to fix up a decent meal for himself (a table with a stovetop built in, though? Interesting!) and made a reminder to thank Reigen-san for the wonderful suggestion.

He continued his walk through town aimlessly, just checking things that happened to catch his attention. He stopped at a particularly small store, where it claimed that everything was only ¥150. He hadn't been expecting much, but was stunned by everything he saw there, including food, household items, and other little knick knacks that he wouldn't mind bringing home. Part of him wondered if Reigen-san knew about this place, and another part of him thought this might actually be his boss's second home. He ended up purchasing a couple small snacks, a pack of pencils, and a solar-powered plastic flower that bobbed its stem and leaves back and forth in the natural light. It would fit perfectly on the windowsill back at the office, he thought.

By this time, evening was quickly approaching, so he thought to wrap up the day by finding something sweet. A little bakery about a block away gave him just what he was looking for, and, purchases in hand, he power-walked his way back to the office building. Satisfied that he'd made it in time, he stopped Reigen and Shigeo as they were about to leave for the day.

"Oh, Serizawa! Back already?" Reigen asked with surprise. Had the situation been reversed, he might've gone straight home to take a nap or something. Serizawa nodded and held up the box of muffins for them to see.

"I grabbed the three of us something to share just now. Today has been really fun, thank you!"

The muffins were shared happily, and Reigen was so elated by the little plastic flower, he placed it on the windowsill well in view so everyone who came in could see it.

Serizawa appreciated his schedule and routines, but his unexpected day off today had been a very pleasant change. He would need to find time to do this all again sometime soon, for sure.


	19. Scars

It's always said that one shouldn't live with regrets. It was also easier said than done, in Shigeo's opinion, anyways.

How could one possibly go without regretting something? Even the smallest things could be cause for remorse for some people, like eating something a little too sugary, or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Reigen and Teru always seemed to emulate the "no regrets" (or "no _ragrets_ ", as Shou liked to say for some reason) lifestyle, despite clearly having past regrets that lingered over them occasionally.

That being said, Shigeo himself had _plenty_ of things to regret. The one thing that stood out the most, however, was the scar on Ritsu's head. It wasn't a particularly large one, but when they were children, it had been huge. _If only those high schoolers hadn't picked on them at the time… if only he'd been able to maintain control…_

 _If only…_

Ritsu had told him it wasn't his fault, that one of the boys had thrown him and he'd gotten hurt that way, but he knew better. His little brother might be good at lying, but Shigeo wasn't stupid. You can't get a scar like that from hitting a wall. And from that point on, there was always an irreversible distance, like a wall that suddenly planted itself between them with no clear way to climb over it, try as he might. With their relationship now in the gutter, Shigeo had sought help and found it in the form of Reigen. From this, he learned that, with regret, good decisions could be made in the aftermath.

Being an esper, his healing ability was impressive, so nary a mark would remain on his own skin after an injury. There were still scars and old, faded scratches from large battles in the months past, but nothing quite like what Ritsu had hidden under his hair.

"Nii-san, what's wrong?"

"...Ah, it's nothing. Just thinking."

Nowadays, the got along much better, seemingly more relaxed in each others' presence rather than the reserved, false pretenses from before. Shigeo had come to learn that not everything could be avoided or helped, and he shouldn't shoulder such burdens. Life, loss of control… some things were just out of his hands, and blaming himself would do no good.

While thankful for all that he had learned so far from his unique experiences, the scar on his little brother's head would, always and forever, remain one of his biggest regrets.


	20. Accident

It hadn't been on purpose. There was just _no way_ someone could be that cruel. It had to have been an accident, that's all. This is what Tome had been telling herself for the past hour or so. She was desperately trying to keep a level-head about the situation.

And it wasn't working.

"When I find out who did this… someone or something is gonna get _burned_..!"

Truly an atrocious attack on her well-being. Someone had, apparently, given her video game a test run, and they'd deleted her glorious, 99% completed save file. She had collected everything, gone back and completed all side quests, worked endlessly to level up her characters… all she had needed to do was proceed to the final boss room and win to beat the game in its entirety!

She left her game alone in the room for less than 30 minutes, and all 60+ hours of gameplay was gone in an instant. Not a single scrap of her hard work remained, and she felt part of her own soul go with it. She didn't remember who exactly was in the room when she left, but it was empty now, and she swore she would have vengeance before this day was through.

The door slid open and Tome immediately jabbed a finger in that direction.

"You! Did you delete my game data?!"

Inugawa, frozen in his tracks, stared in astonishment for a second before regaining his composure.

"Wh- no! Why on Earth would I do something like that? Also, why are you still here, President? School ended hours ago."

Tome, still steaming, pointed to the video game system she had placed on the center of the table.

"I came back to retrieve my game before heading home, and WHAT do I find? All of my hard work, gone! _Poof!_ Just like that!" She began pulling at her hair, trembling with rage. "It's an absolute travesty! A blemish on my innocent soul! How could they?!"

"N-now President, calm down. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for-"

"And when I find out who did this, I'm gonna make MINCEMEAT outta them! They'll pay dearly!"

"O-okay.."

She nearly pounced at the next poor, unsuspecting soul that walked through the door. Saruta just about leapt out of his skin at the sight of the club president's angry mannerisms.

"P-President! Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm just wonderful, fantastic... and ready to beat the stuffing out of whoever touched my game! My save file was perfect, dammit!"

"...Oh boy…."

Kijibayashi wasn't really sure what to expect when he opened the Body Improvement Clubroom door, but it definitely wasn't the Telepathy Club's president flying into his face with fists at the ready. Despite the height difference, he still had to take a few steps back from her to avoid falling.

"I bet it was you, wasn't it? Jealous of my game progress, huh?!"

"Wait, wait! What happened? Hold on!"

A few frantic minutes of calming down the president later, Tome was stumped. There would be no reason for any random person to just come in and delete her game data. No one she knew hated her enough to do so (or at least as far as she was aware of). The Body Improvement Club guys wouldn't have done it, either. They were too pure-hearted, and honestly, she wasn't sure if they even knew how to work a game system, let alone navigate a menu to erase a save file.

...Maybe aliens had done it? If that were the case, she would've been honored, but such a scenario was highly unlikely in this situation. But then who? Who would've been devious enough, been villainous enough, to have committed such a heinous crime?

"K-Kurata-senpai!"

The Telepathy Club members whipped their heads to the door to see Shigeo standing at the entryway with a bag in his hand, panting as though he'd been in a rush to get somewhere.

"Mob? Your Body Improvement activities ended ages ago! How are you still worn out?" Tome accused, placing her hands on her hips. She had bigger things to worry about, of course, but as he was a former member of the "going home" club, it _was_ rather intriguing to see him back so soon.

"I… I um… I came to, ah…"

"You came back to what? Spit it out already, c'mon!" She could feel her patience wearing thin. She might go crazy if she didn't resolve her own problem at hand first!

"...I came to… apologize."

His defeated tone spelled it out for her, and Tome stood in utter confusion before she could put words to the conclusion she'd finally drawn.

"...Was it… wait… y… YOU erased my game data..?"

"I-it was an accident! I swear!"

Of all the people it could've been, she didn't expect Mob to have been the one to completely destroy one of her biggest life accomplishments (so far). She was at a loss for words, and her mouth opened and closed as she tried to pull her thoughts together. Shigeo shifted in place nervously as he started to speak.

"I… well, I accidentally knocked it off the table while cleaning up the room. I couldn't catch it in time, and the game sorta… froze when it hit the ground.

When I turned it off and back on again, the game file was already gone. I'm really, really sorry…."

Funny. All of that pent-up rage from before, the outbursts and anger… they were suddenly just gone, out of her system. Much like her save data. She felt like a deflated balloon with no energy, no will to go on or try anymore.

"Oh… that's, um… that's fine, I guess. I'll just… yeah…."

Tome picked up her game system and began making her way out of the room, intending to go home and sulk for the rest of the day (or the rest of her life, she'd decide when she got there), but Shigeo moved in front of her, blocking her path.

"Wait, I wasn't done."

He held the bag, which he'd been holding onto so tightly all this time, out to her. Surprised, she hesitated before she accepted it and peeked inside. And nearly fainted on the spot.

The much coveted and fawned-over, newly-released sequel to her game sat inside. Truthfully, Shigeo had been saving his money up for a game Ritsu had had his eye on, but this accident needed more than just an apology to make things right, he thought. She stood trembling, awestruck, and glanced up to Shigeo, who still looked considerably frightened.

"A-are you serious..? I can have this..?" She looked as though she were ready to cry, and Shigeo, understandably, panicked.

"W-wait! I'm sorry! Don't cry, please, I'm sorry!"

"MOB, THANK YOU!"

She proceeded to nearly squeeze the life out of him with a spine-crushing bear hug, then immediately dropped him and raced back home before anyone could say another word. She'd have to start over with her other game first, of course, but she knew how to beat it quickly, and now she had a reason to hurry up and play again.

She'd needed a refresher on the game's story, anyways.


	21. Hands

A quick wit. A confident stride. A calm composure (mostly). These were traits that Shigeo associated with Reigen. He yearned for even a small portion of any of these traits for himself - maybe with these, he could even learn to get a clue. For now though, he did what he could and soaked in all he was taught, taking every lesson well to heart. Yet a small part of him still wanted more, so he decided to put more thought and effort into it.

All of the traits he'd thought of before were, naturally, things that couldn't really be taught. Rather, they were gained over time with experience, something Shigeo thought he himself sorely lacked. What other traits or mannerisms could he learn from him just by watching?

Reigen is a good person, but he already knew that. He's very sensitive to hot food - that wasn't exactly an admirable trait, but it's a trait nonetheless. He threw salt around a lot, too… it sounded messy to him, so he decided not to try that.

But on that note, he was constantly in motion, always gesturing with the entirety of his being, as if speaking with both his voice and body at the same time. His hands were most always emphasizing his words, and somehow that made what he was saying much stronger.

How strange.

Maybe he could try starting there. Moving, itself, wasn't so tough, but to move like Reigen required a level of energy that Shigeo didn't think he had attained just yet. His hands, however, were a different story. It would be easiest to try simple gestures, or even the tiniest of movements to add a little more to the words he spoke.

Of course, this didn't work out so well in his favor, as he tried moving his hands while talking with Ritsu once, but it only served to confuse his brother and embarrass himself.

* * *

"...Niisan, what're you doing with your hands?"

"Ah, um… n-nothing."

* * *

So that didn't go as he'd hoped it would. He'd have to pay closer attention to his master, then - t was almost like learning a new language in that regard. Aside from all of that, though, not all of Reigen's hand gestures had the same kind of rhythm, he noticed. Sometimes, he would move a hand in a rather sporadic manner before pointing somewhere or giving a hearty thumbs-up. That shouldn't be TOO hard to try, right?

As it turned out, yes, it was too hard to try, and he ended up slapping himself in the face ungracefully. Thankfully, he'd tried it out in the privacy of his bedroom this time, but he was still embarrassed by the outcome all the same.

So now he had to pay attention to two different things: both the orderly _and_ the unorderly gesticulations that his master used like second-nature. If asked, Shigeo was willing to bet that Reigen wasn't even aware he was doing it half the time. And he, on the other hand (no pun intended), had to put in so much focus to make it work.

Chalk it up to another reason why Reigen was his master. He was just that amazing.

* * *

A couple weeks had passed by this time, and Shigeo had practiced his hand gestures whenever he could. It was just so bizarre, but he was determined not to give up just yet. To have an interesting and unique trait like that become almost natural to him… it was strange, but he wanted it more than anything right now. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he hadn't been paying attention until Reigen called out to him.

"Mob! Which way did the spirit go?"

Without a second thought, his hand moved about in a rapid fashion (not unlike his master's own movements) before he pointed ahead of them.

"It went that way."

He was met with silence, and he turned to see Reigen staring back, awestruck.

"Master?"

"Mob, I am so proud of you right now!"

"Wh…"

Shigeo was confused for a moment until he realized what exactly he had just done. He remained quite pleased with himself even long after the job was over.

He had no doubts that, at this rate, he too would be walking with confidence in no time.


	22. Exorcise

It was one thing to use psychic powers for small or mundane tasks in everyday life, but it was another to use them for more… spiritual-related tasks, or, in this case, an exorcism job. Teru had become curious about the sorts of things Shigeo did when he was working and, one day after school had let out, he found him and asked if he could come along. Shigeo had no problems with this, of course, and Reigen, though he was confused, allowed him to accompany them, too.

At first, they stayed in the office, not doing very much. Shigeo worked on his homework at his table quietly and Reigen furiously tapped away at his laptop. Teru chose to seat himself on the office couch and wait for further instructions. A comfortable silence filled the room, but Teru was still suffering with anticipation. If he knew anything about Master Reigen, it was that something big and amazing would happen very soon. He just didn't know when, and though he maintained a cool composure on the outside, he couldn't stop his leg from bouncing where he sat.

They remained there for what felt like hours, and as Teru began dozing off, he was immediately woken up when Reigen suddenly snapped his laptop shut and stood up, stretching his back.

"Alright, Mob and Mob's friend! We've got a job, so hustle up and let's go!"

The excitement from before hit Teru full-blast, and he was on his feet in an instant. Shigeo was considerably slower than the other two, making sure each page and book was put away properly before leaving his corner. The three of them exited the building and began making their way through the city, several blocks over from the consultation office.

"So, what sort of job are we doing today?" Teru finally asked, hoping he'd masked his eagerness well enough to pass off as general curiosity.

"Well, I'm glad somebody's fired up about this! I got an email a short while ago from a woman who's being terrorized by her laundry. She messaged us from her friend's computer, apparently," Reigen explained, suddenly taking on a strange expression as he placed a hand on his chin. "Though… it IS a _woman's_ laundry, so, as gentlemen, we need to show some modesty and be careful of what we see, got it?"

"Yes Master."

"Of course!"

It didn't take very long for them to arrive at their client's home, who explained that various articles of clothing began flying out of the basket and around the room at top speed with no apparent cause or reason. Reigen finalized the details with her, then returned to Shigeo and Teru, who stood patiently a few steps away from the front door.

"Okay then, I think we should be ready to take care of this! First thing's first, though," he turned to address Teru and continued, "Mob's friend, have you ever exorcised an evil spirit before?"

Teru was about to reply that he had indeed, but he stopped himself short when he thought about it more. HAD he exorcised a spirit before? He had done a number on Dimple in the past, but he was very tough and was able to pull himself back together from near-nonexistence.

"I can't say that I've ever fully exorcised a spirit before, but I know the method. I should be fine," Teru replied with confidence. Exorcising a weaker spirit should be no problem, but the amount of strength he put into his power would be another thing altogether. Since he had very little experience in that regard, the strength he would probably resort to using on a spirit, he equated to as using a heavy duty textbook to smash an ant. Way too much power, way too much energy wasted, way too much potential collateral damage. He didn't want to risk botching such a simple job, so, much as it pained him to do it, he decided to sit back and watch Shigeo work his magic this time around. Who knows? Maybe he would get a better idea of controlling his power in this sense if he observed someone who completed exorcisms on a regular basis.

The three of them stepped over the threshold into the living room of the house, and the presence of many, many spirits at work became glaringly obvious. The moment they set foot into the room, bits of clothing began flying around wildly, knocking over several objects around he home in the process.

"Damn..! It's like a windstorm in- **MMPHF**!" Reigen had shielded his face from the wind being whipped up by the clothes, but he was still promptly cut off when a grey t-shirt with angel wings hit him in the face. He peeled it off to see that Teru had saved him from being assaulted by a pair of jeans and a tank top covered with pink kittens, and they stood suspended in the air mere inches from his face. "...Well, at least they're not discriminatory about _what_ articles of clothing are used…" he muttered as he tossed the shirt in his hand aside. As soon as he saw an opening, he broke out into a dash towards the basket of clothes in the center of the whirlwind, calling out behind him, "I'm gonna get rid of their ammunition! You two, you know what to do!"

Teru glanced over to Shigeo, who was already busy at work erasing spirits one at a time. Observation proved quite useful, he found, as he studied the way Shigeo set his powers to almost needlepoint precision at the core of each spirit, then expanded his power in a short burst of energy, like a speedy and effective flashbomb. He saved energy by utilizing the size of the spirit itself and dissipated his power from that spot the moment the spirit was gone, rather than trying to eyeball the size of the enemy and measure out energy that way. His method was far more effective, and Teru wondered if he might've learned this long ago had he been under Master Reigen's tutelage too.

The spirits began whipping clothes outward towards them in an attempt to ward them off or attack them, whichever worked to their favor. Easy enough to block those off, but Shigeo faltered when one of them began flinging a black bra around. He continued erasing spirits left and right, but at a much slower pace now as he desperately tried to avert his eyes from the one wildly flailing about in front of him.

Odd as it seemed, Teru wasn't fazed by it in the slightest. Maybe because he himself had actually talked to and gone on dates with girls before, whereas Shigeo had no experience with such things. When the spirits seemed to strengthen their attack on him, Teru decided he was done being an audience member to this. He flexed his power in his hand briefly before mimicking what his friend had done before, and was pleased to find success in his action. He quickly exorcised the spirit that had been taunting Shigeo, allowing him to focus better.

"Th-thank you, Hanazawa-kun!"

With the two of them working together, the remaining spirits were disposed of quickly, and soon the house was quiet with inactivity. All of the clothes were properly returned to the basket, and Reigen stood hunched over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. As it turned out, once he had taken the basket from the center, he had started swiping the clothing away from the spirits and disarming a vast majority of them, leaving them (along with the ones he'd been unable to catch) to be finished off by one of the boys.

Gratitude and payment was given, and the three headed back to the consultation offices to gather up their belongings to head home for the day, as evening had begun to set. Reigen gave Shigeo his pay for the day, and, surprisingly, had given Teru a little as well (though he stated he was only paying him about an hour's worth, since, although he had helped out, he wasn't an official employee, so it was only fair).

Shigeo and Teru had been able to walk back together a partial way before they went their separate ways, Shigeo emphasizing that he had been a great help, and wouldn't mind doing this again. Teru made his way back home, thinking on about the new skill he'd obtained and the day he'd had. This had definitely been a fun and worthwhile experience, and he even entertained the notion of seeing about getting a job at the Spirits and Such Consultation office, as well.

...Being paid was nice, but making a job out of it right now was a little too soon for him. Of course, that definitely didn't he mean he wouldn't tag along in the future. The opportunity to learn new skills was just too great to pass up!


	23. Green Tea

Green tea was one of Reigen's favorite drinks, and Shigeo knew as much. He had an appreciation for the drink as well, and had some quite often at the office. Even today, they were indulging themselves in it, relaxing in the comfortable silence of the room. The end of the work day was quickly approaching, so they began their usual rounds tidying up the office before closing up. Shigeo had been in the process of cleaning up the tea set when he was stopped abruptly.

"Wait a minute, don't toss those out, Mob," Reigen spoke up suddenly and approached the kettle area. Shigeo watched curiously as his master collected all the used tea bags in a small dish, then set the dish on his desk with the intention of bringing it home.

"What are you going to do with those?" Shigeo asked after pondering this move for a moment. It didn't make a lot of sense to him, anyways. Reigen slipped into his coat and picked the dish back up as he fished the office keys out of his pocket.

"Well, I just so happened to read a very interesting article about how using cold, leftover tea to water your plants is good for them. Thought I'd give it a try," he shrugged, then motioned for him to follow him out the door so he could lock up. "Couldn't hurt them. I mean, water is water, and green tea is already pretty healthy for people, so why not?"

Over time, Reigen had come into an impressive collection of plants around the office. He took great pride in making sure they grew and bloomed to perfection, and was constantly browsing websites for the latest trends in plant care. Shigeo had heard about placing used green tea bags over one's eyes to relieve stress and look healthier in general, but using them on plants was something new to him.

* * *

The next day, Shigeo stepped into the office to find Reigen hard at work spritzing each plant carefully with a spray bottle. He stopped and glanced up when he heard him enter the room.

"Hey! Come on over, take a look!" Reigen held the spray bottle out for Shigeo to take for closer inspection and pointed to another plant he hadn't had the chance to care for yet. "Spray some on this little guy over here, too." Shigeo sprayed the small potted plant on the windowsill, making sure to keep the mist away from the plastic, bobbing head flower decoration that Serizawa had given Reigen a few weeks ago. The spray had a gentle tea scent to it, and the plant even seemed to perk up a little after receiving some.

"You put green tea in this?" He took a closer look at the bottle and noticed that it had a very subtle yellow-ish tint to it.

"Well, I steeped the used bags in cool water overnight, to be more precise. There's plenty of tea in there to keep them all healthy for a while." There was pride in his tone, and Shigeo was confident this trick would work. Despite the undesirable environment, the plants around the office were flourishing rather nicely, and this water would only help them even more.

And his confidence was well-founded, it seemed. The upgraded water and Reigen's apparent green thumb combined made the plants' appearances improve greatly seemingly overnight (though it truthfully had been a little over 3 days). The leaves looked broader, and the green color took on a vibrant tone. They even seemed to be standing a little straighter and taller than before, too. It was a wonder neither had thought to try something like this in the past, but hey, they weren't complaining. Better late than never, right?

Using leftover green tea bags in facials and skin care was one thing, but plant care was another thing entirely. It only served to make Shigeo interested in what other odd methods the bags could be used for.


	24. 100 and ? ? ?

Supposedly, it was just for protection. He couldn't will it forward or pull it back in - like a being with a mind of it's own, it moved and worked the way it thought would be the best in whatever situation it found itself in. Oftentimes, Shigeo found himself wondering if anyone else had experienced the same things he did. It's been said before that there are at least 7 people in the world who look just like you, and Shigeo couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor souls out there who shared his plain features. They probably experienced more ordinary lives, though, lives that weren't filled with exorcisms, existential crises, and fear of oneself.

There was a silent agreement of sorts between himself and Ritsu, that they wouldn't talk about what happened _that_ day unless they truly felt the need to. His younger brother could recount the events up to a certain point, but then he would grow silent.

Teru didn't like to talk about when they'd met; they were on such uneven grounds then. There were two moments, during that brief period of their first encounter, that Shigeo remembered his powers flowing into motion beyond his usual amount of control, though only one could actually be properly remembered. The second time, he'd had some sort of control and knew what he had wanted to do at the time. His power was used to mend, to fix what had been broken, and the sun broke through the clouds at the most perfect moment... as though things were right again, as they should be. Yes, the second time was healing.

The first time, however, was complete destruction.

A battle against his very nature, the entirety of his being, he struggled to make sure this destructive power was always in check. In his stride to become a good person, he faced many obstacles along the way, and this bizarre power that somehow went beyond the scope of his control was the biggest one. It was for protection, he supposed, for this frightening power only surged forth from his being when he was in a dangerous situation.

And that was the kicker, wasn't it? It only appeared when he, and he alone, was in a dangerous situation. Both friend and foe, indiscriminately, would be attacked without mercy should Shigeo be forced to lose consciousness during a fight. It had already happened to Ritsu and Teru, but thankfully, they had been able to escape with their lives. But what if it happened to his parents? To Master Reigen? ...To Tsubomi?

The negative emotions were building up rapidly again, and he forced himself to take a calming breath and step away from those thoughts. No, no one had been outright killed by his powers. Not that he knew of. He was working on changing, but at this point he wondered if his efforts were helping at all.

At the very least, the other side of his power could be somewhat controlled. He had discovered early on that his powers were linked to his emotions, so he pushed all of his emotions down, down deep beneath a barrier within the depths of his soul. But he could never completely rid himself of emotions. Despite everything, he was still an ordinary person, another kid trying to make it through life, and he still _felt_ things like everyone else.

Over time, he was able to gauge just how close he was to breaking through that barrier within himself. Whatever emotions or thoughts he was feeling at the time the barrier broke through, so too did his power, enhancing the feeling and his abilities as strongly as possible. Only for a short time, though, as he was able to pull himself back together, throwing the barriers up again as quickly as possible. This did not always result in a bad thing, necessarily, as with Black Vinegar Middle School. It would've taken years to replace everything that had been lost to this first power, but the second power had fixed everything in less than a minute.

It was two sides of the same coin, that each power was used to protect him in one way or another. On one side, he was mostly in control, he knew what he was doing, **100%** aware of the situation around him.

On the other, he was only left with **? ? ?%**.


	25. Massage

There was something to be said about anyone who could give a good massage. It took a ton of patience and skill in knowing exactly where each pressure point was or how tense a muscle was when it shouldn't be. Reigen wasn't exactly sure when or how he became somewhat of an expert when it came to giving them, but he had, and he wasn't all that pleased with it. Not at first, anyways. It was never fun when one's parents would try forcing a career path onto their child, and he was no exception.

A massage therapist? No thank you, he actually had goals he wanted to achieve.

That wasn't to say that this particular skill _hadn't_ come in handy at times. In fact, a lot of his regular clients came to see him specifically for the sessions, claiming a curse or spirit had attached itself to their shoulders or back. They knew as well as he did (or maybe they didn't) that it was malarkey, but true to his word, he gave them discounted prices every time. Money was money, and it made it easier on him if the job were something simple, anyways.

He only wished he could give himself a massage sometimes. Poor posture while working at his desk at the office and at home had done a number on his back and shoulders, and, while a quick stretch would offer a temporary fix, the pain would come back often. He didn't feel comfortable enough to go out somewhere and have a session done for himself, and he didn't know anyone who could perform one well enough (or at least, to the standard he could provide for others). Mob had tried giving him a shoulder massage as a gift for Father's Day, and while that was actually incredibly thoughtful, he was honestly terrible at it, and it hadn't helped in the slightest. It was the thought that counted, but still….

A sort of satisfaction came along with the massage sessions for clients that couldn't be beat, though. Afterwards, when the recipient positively glowed and thanked him over and over for a job well done, he felt as though he'd made even a small difference for someone. If they believed there to be a spirit or a curse upon themselves, then so be it, but he wasn't about to let an anxious client go without resolving at least ONE of their problems. Most adults these days have pain somewhere, so he could offer some relief in that way.

It was a skill that he hadn't been happy with at first, but now he was grateful to have it. Now, if he could teach Mob how to properly give one, that'd be another story….


	26. Lemon Sour

Some alcoholic drinks had an acquired taste, while others went down easy. Some were considered "girly drinks", while others were tough, with a "no shame in chasing" rule in effect. Some were bottom of the barrel products, while others were top of the pyramid brands. There were plenty of good (or bad) choices to pick from, yet he always chose the same thing every time.

Reigen didn't drink often since he worked mostly all day until evening time, but he did indulge every once in awhile. He was incredibly lightweight, too, and he was well aware of it. How many times did he have to trip over his own two feet on his way home after just one lemon sour? Just _one_ of those tiny drinks was enough to pull him completely overboard. He could nurse a hangover like nobody's business, though, so he had no room to complain. But no, he still chose not to drink if only because he had business to take care of first and foremost, as well as responsibilities that required attending.

So he was understandably nervous when Serizawa asked if he could give one a try.

"President Suzuki would let me have wine sometimes, but other than that, I've never really had a true, honest-to-goodness alcoholic drink," Serizawa spoke with a shy demeanor, like a child asking for an extra treat. Reigen, on the other hand, had no idea how to properly respond, and his eye twitched as he wracked his brain for an answer.

"You… can drop the whole 'honest-to-goodness' bit. And it's really not that impressive." He shifted slightly under the intense gaze from his employee. "It's just a drink with a little extra to it, y'know?"

"I really can't say that I do. But still, I want to drink one! You drink them occasionally, so they must be good, right?" The man was practically begging now. "Please! I really want to at least give it a try!"

That, right there, was the biggest issue at hand here for Reigen. Serizawa had a terrible habit of blindly following each and every word the "person in charge" said. And since Reigen's suggestions to him had all been very good, he was, more than ever, willing to follow in his footsteps no matter where he went. It was kinda flattering, actually.

...well, Reigen _had_ wanted to get up early tomorrow, but sometimes things just don't work out according to plan.

"...Alright. But only one lemon sour each. I'm gonna need someone to help me get home, and it won't do to have two drunk men stumbling around in the streets."


	27. Disguise

With Summer came summer break, and with summer break came summer blockbuster movies. Specifically, Mach Fighter Futoshi 5 had just been released in theaters, and Shou could've died with excitement at the announcement. However, the R-15 rating was the only obstacle in their way, and he was determined to see the sequel to his favorite movie no matter what. And who better to drag along on this escapade than his very best friend?

"This is an awful idea."

"What're you talking about? This is an awesome idea!"

Poor Ritsu had wanted to take it easy today. He was going to write, practice using his powers a little bit, maybe even take a nap to catch up on his sleep schedule. But no, all of today's plans were essentially thrown in the trash when Shou, perched upon his windowsill innocently, requested his help.

Now that he was aware of the situation, he was positive there was nothing he'd be able to do to assist him anyways. He told him as much, but his friend wouldn't hear it. And now, he brought out a long trench coat with the hopes of reenacting a silly, childish way of getting what they wanted by sitting on one's shoulders and posing as an adult.

"No. Absolutely not." Ritsu was putting his foot down here. He may have fooled around with him in the past, but he wasn't about to humiliate himself just so Shou could see some stupid movie.

"What? Whyyyy?" Shou whined, but Ritsu was already heading the opposite direction. Shou jogged to catch up with him, pouting as he matched his stride. What else could they do? Collectively, their group had taken down his father's powerful organization, so surely getting into an R-15 rated movie wouldn't be _that_ hard, right? And speaking of their group collectively, one person _did_ happen to stand out in his mind, for whatever reason.

"Hey, why don't we try asking that one dude? Y'know, your bro's boss or whatever!" The look he received was a questioning one, and Ritsu held his stare for a moment more before responding with "Reigen-san? Ask him what, exactly?"

Now they were getting somewhere!

"Yeah, yeah! Him! We could ask him to, like, pose as our dad or something. Then maybe he could convince the ticketbooth employees to let us in!"

Ritsu sputtered and halted immediately. The once curious look of questioning upon his face morphed into one of indignance and contempt. He advanced on Shou, jabbing at his chest with his index finger as he spoke with a rising tone.

"First off, no, that's not going to work. That movie is R-15, meaning kids under 15 years old are _banned_ from seeing it, so even if he could convince them, it would still be illegal. And second, why in the good Earth's name would I _EVER_ ask that guy to pose as my dad? Are you out of your mind?"

"Ouch, chill dude! It was just a suggestion, sheesh," Shou muttered as he batted Ritsu's hand away. They returned to walking in silence, each pondering something different, though now a frighteningly dark aura had seemingly enveloped Ritsu. _Yeesh, remind me not to mention something like THAT again…._

"What's the big deal, anyways? It's not like waiting two more years is going to kill you," Ritsu finally broke the silence after several minutes. Now it was Shou's turn to gape in disbelief at his friend.

"Wh-what's the big deal? The 'big deal' is that it's been three years since Mach Fighter Futoshi 4 was released, and two years before that, Mach Fighter Futoshi 3 came out!" He patted his own chest and continued, "Asking me to wait two more years? So you're asking me to put a FIVE YEAR GAP between my favorite movie and its sequel? Really?"

"It's a SEQUEL, Shou. It's gonna suck, anyways."

"Do you even hear yourself right now? Why would they make five movies if it wasn't any good?"

"Capitalizing on new merchandise and content is a good business tactic regardless of how far gone a series is. Someone, somewhere out there is willing to pay a fortune for this stuff, and right now that person is you."

 _Freaking nerd, I bet he read that in a book somewhere._

This sort of banter went back and forth until they made it back to Ritsu's house. Trying to be helpful, he had told Shou to just forget about it, that he'd be able to go back to it when he was older.

Unfortunately for Ritsu, Shou was tenacious, and didn't give up so easily. He ended up watching a recording someone had made of it on their phone while in the theater. And Ritsu had been right, it turned out. The movie was _terrible_.


	28. Curse

If anyone were to ask him, he was cursed, no doubt. He was a powerful, evil spirit who was destined to become God someday. The ambition, the drive, the resolve resided within him, but the power to do so constantly evaded him. Surely, such an amazing spirit would have better luck, but Dimple would be the first to tell you that no, being wonderful and strong wouldn't help you here. "Here", being in the company of _these_ people.

First, there was Teru. That little kid was stronger than he appeared, and though he had questionable fashion choices, he wouldn't hesitate to let you know exactly what was on his mind or what he thought about you. He was a force to be reckoned with, for sure.

Second came Ritsu. The incredibly talented young man whose will was stronger than steel. Somehow, despite being a newbie at the time, he'd been able to resist Dimple's control, and quite easily, at that. Like Teru, Ritsu would give you no second thoughts if he decided he didn't like you. A scary one, that boy.

Next was Reigen. Oh, the things he could say about _this_ guy. A conman, a cheat, a fake, a liar… the list could go on, but he'd be stuck here all day. Yet, in spite of the words he used to describe him, he was one of the people Dimple felt he could trust the most, surprisingly enough. Maybe they had a little too much in common, but whether or not that was a good thing remained yet to be seen.

Finally, there was Shigeo. This kid… _this kid_. Where on Earth did he begin with this kid? If asked to describe him, he'd be quick to say that Shigeo had "the powers of a God stuffed into a teenage body", and wasn't that the truth. Such power was admirable, coveted, but the boy was humble and good-hearted. Far too kind to parade his gift over people, no amount of persuasion would convince him that doing so would be a good thing. What he wouldn't give for even a taste of the power that was so far beyond his reach.

These are the people Dimple hung out with on a daily basis. He was once so powerful, no one until Mogami could take him down. Now, he was treated like a lackey of some kind, and it was horribly degrading and humiliating. The things he'd do if he were at full power….

But…

This was his life now. And these people were friends - like family, almost. While he was teased often, he also made the occasional jab at one or two of them, who would respond equally in jest. He could almost say it was fun being around them. They gave him something to look forward to each day, and he felt lucky to have them - what would he be doing otherwise, if not seeking the power of God fruitlessly? He would never admit to any of this, though. Never. Not in a million years.

He was truly cursed, indeed.


	29. Telepathy

Loud. Everyone was so loud. All the time, in fact, even the people who were reputable for their quiet nature. Nobody wanted to shut up about anything and everything, and only one person was left in the wake of suffering from all of this. No, no one said a word out loud, but their minds were constantly going on and on as they went over every tiny piece of information they received. Yet if he were to shout to the heavens to make it stop, everyone would look at him as though he were insane.

Takenaka was almost certain he _was_ going insane.

He could try the world's best earplugs or the newest noise-cancelling headphones, but it was never enough to filter out the awful sounds from everyone's heads, though he had gotten better about lowering the volume in his mind. He had long since stopped caring about hearing people's darkest secrets, but he dared not tell anyone about his telepathy lest they become fearful and shun him. He was left to cope with this curse alone.

And honestly, it was fine by him. Why should he care? Acting was easy enough, and he didn't need anyone poking their nose into his business, either. He was perfectly content to deal with his own issues by himself.

There was one person who remained a curiosity to him, though. He hadn't known about Shigeo's psychic abilities before - it was no telepathy, but power was power, he supposed. The guy just never stood out, and he hardly knew him until their New Year's alien-hunting excursion. Even then, he still didn't know too much about him. He'd heard people describe him as an enigma before, and it seemed to fit. But what stood out the most, what _really_ caught his attention was his mind.

Silent. Absolutely silent.

Well, he'd be lying if he said there was nothing there at all, but his thoughts seemed to filter through something before coming to fruition in his head. If he were to make a comparison between Shigeo's mind and everyone else's, the latter were a lot like text messages on cell phones, being quick, constant, and sometimes dotted with emoticons, pictures, and songs. The former was more like a typewriter - straightforward, a quiet stream of information, no feeling. Almost emotionless.

It was frightening, and he didn't dare move closer, as he could sense there was something more there, like something that should never be touched or gazed upon. Yes, emotions were in there somewhere, building up under careful lock and key, until he couldn't hold it in anymore, and then… then what? He didn't think he wanted to know.

But whenever Shigeo caught Takenaka's eye, he would offer a friendly smile and a short greeting, befitting the oddity who claimed he was simply a "nobody".

Mob.

 _Just… who exactly ARE you?_


	30. Barrier

Depending on who you spoke to about it, barriers could go one of two ways. They were either protecting from or defending against something. They could be keeping someone in or keeping someone out. One could be made with love, and another with hate.

In an oddly philosophical sense, Shigeo thought he might be getting just a little too carried away with this line of thought. He wasn't sure where the thought had even come from - probably something related to whatever they had talked about at school. School wasn't interesting to him at the moment, as he had other things to think about.

For starters, it was his birthday. Finally 15, and still slowly climbing the ladder of maturity that was adolescence. His day was pretty average, pretty normal otherwise, though. He didn't care too much, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't just the slightest bit disappointed that today had turned out just like the rest of the year so far. On the other hand, Reigen had called him in for a job unexpectedly, despite today being his day off. Again, a little disappointing, but if his master needed his help or wanted to teach him something, he was obligated to heed the call.

Strangely enough, Reigen had been incredibly vague about what exactly he needed him to come in for. Shigeo was only told to come to the office in 2 hours and not a minute sooner, and to change out of his gakuran and into something a little more casual. Bizarre, considering his outfits had never truly had an effect on any of his jobs (aside from ones that just so happened to take place on a hiking trail where they definitely shouldn't be), but he sauntered home slowly as usual and changed nonetheless. 2 hours, though? What could he possibly do besides study to kill time? His parents weren't home - they'd given him a quick birthday celebration before leaving for work that morning and gave him knowing looks, like they knew something he didn't. Ritsu wasn't home, either, likely at school still with the Student Council. Dimple was… wherever he was when he wasn't hanging around him, he supposed. On top of that, Teru wouldn't answer his phone, so Shigeo sat in his room bored, waiting for time to tick by.

What exactly was he waiting for again?

He ended up going back and finishing his homework anyways - might as well get it out of the way while he had literally nothing to do. Of course, studying was time-consuming, and by the time he finished, he decided it would be okay to leave for the office.

He arrived in a timely manner, and not a minute too soon as was requested of him. Per the usual, he opened the office door without knocking, and was surprised to find the room completely dark, save for a couple candles on his master's desk.

"Ah, Mob! Perfect timing! Shut the door behind you, will ya?" Reigen spoke up from his chair, and Shigeo, though thoroughly confused, did as he was asked and approached the desk slowly.

"What are you doing, Master?"

"Straight to the point as usual, I see! You need a sense of adventure, Mob."

"You wouldn't tell me what was going on over the phone, so…" Shigeo trailed off. Reigen's grin only grew wider.

"Since you're so curious, I'll just tell you, then. I'm channelling a spirit right now. Wanna know which one?"

"Um…"

"It's the spirit of celebration! Don't you get it, Mob?"

"...No, not really."

Reigen sighed as he stood up and walked around the desk. He took Shigeo by the shoulders and turned him around so he faced the rest of the dark room.

"Hyper dense, aren't you? In that case, let's bring the spirit of celebration to life!"

In an instant, he was blinded when the office lights flicked back on, and-

" **SURPRISE!"**

He startled and would've fallen if Reigen weren't holding his shoulders steady from behind. Suddenly, the room was filled with the faces of his friends and celebratory decorations lining the walls. He stared in utter confusion until he caught Ritsu's eye.

"W-wait, what- I'm… huh?" was all Shigeo could stutter before Reigen gave him a hard pat on the back.

"What, never had a surprise party before? I knew you were dense, but not enough to forget your own birthday, come on."

"I… I didn't, but…"

Ritsu stepped forward and took Shigeo by the arm, pulling him to where the others were. He looked amongst the people here: Teru, Shou, Dimple, Onigawara, Serizawa, Takenaka, the Telepathy Club, the Body Improvement Club, the kids from the Awakening Lab, even his parents… just about everyone he knew was here, and he looked back to Ritsu for an explanation.

"You guys are all here… for me?"

"Of course, Kageyama-kun!" Teru stepped into his line of sight with a friendly smile. "Actually, this was all Little Brother's idea. Though I have to admit, I'm surprised he chose the consultation office as the location." Ritsu shrugged in response.

"Hey, I didn't want him to suspect anything, so I tried to think of the one place where he wouldn't get any happiness out of." An oddly conniving look crossed his features as he pointedly ignored the indignant "hey!" from Reigen. Loud party poppers drew their attention to Shou, who grinned at them lazily.

"C'mon, you guys are like a bunch of old people. This is a party, so let's start having some fun already!"

* * *

Shigeo had to admit, this was probably the most fun he'd ever had. Good food, gifts, fun, but most importantly, being around the people he cared about, who were enjoying this just as much as he was. Time always seemed to fly by when one was having fun, and soon enough, it was time to tidy up and go home. He couldn't have thought of a better way to have spent his day, and thankfully, all of his schoolwork was done, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Speaking of school, he was reminded of what they had been talking about in class earlier that day.

Barriers. To keep one safe, or to keep one out. Shigeo constantly had a thin barrier of psychic powers on him at all times - you never knew when you needed it to keep away any sort of danger. But today was different. He was reminded that he had all of these people around him who cared for him and would defend him. All of these people who liked him for who he was, and not for what powers he had. His was a barrier filled with love, enveloping him like a warm embrace. And everyone who was a part of his barrier was so different from one another, each person still trying to find their own ways through life.

In that sense, he supposed, they, as well as himself, truly were a work in progress.

* * *

 **We've finally reached the end! Thank you so much to everyone who read my stories! Despite this being created as contribution for the MP100 fluffbomb on tumblr, not all of these stories were really fluff. Some of them were more speculation or character insight stories. Even just some stories about them goofing off and having fun, but it just felt great to write.**

 **I'll be honest, I wrote the majority of these stories between 1-3a, and I always made it a point to make sure I had something written up before going to bed. I'm glad so many people enjoyed my sleep-deprived nonsense, haha!**

 **Totally unplanned, but hey, just in time for Shigeo's birthday (May 12th)! On top of that, I'm leaving for a mini vacation on Friday, so it was a good thing I finished this up now!**

 **It's going to feel so strange, not writing tomorrow night. When you get into a routine like that, it can be a little hard to break sometimes. I'm a little sad it's over, but also kinda relieved - I was sorta running out of ideas, eheh! Not to worry, I will continue to write other stories, and will absolutely keep contributing to the MP100 fandom (we need more fluff! More fluff, I say!)!**

 **Thank you again to everyone who read my little stories! I hope you look forward to what I have in store in the future!**

 **Happy birthday, Shigeo!**


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